This move can be counted as a historical victory for Sikh soldiers and Muslim women who are now able to maintain their religiously-mandated head coverings, thanks to a new policy directive that updates the Army's grooming and appearance regulation. Previously, Sikhs had been able to wear beards and turbans in the Army, up until a 1980s ban. Resulting from years of advocacy, the new rules promise that the religious accommodations will last throughout a soldier’s career and can only be denied or rescinded by the Secretary of the Army or his designee.
For years, Kalsi — along with the Sikh Coalition, McDermot, Will and Emery, Truman National Security Project and the Becket Fund and other individuals — have been trying to persuade the army to change its policy. The soldiers initially received temporary accommodations in the spring of 2016, allowing them to report to their assignments with beard and turban intact, but the Army continued to withhold assurances that they could finish their military careers.
Soldiers will still have to submit their requests for brigade-level approval, but the move opens up service to people who otherwise would have had to abandon their religious practices to serve. “The Army has reviewed its policies to ensure we allow every opportunity for qualified soldiers to serve, regardless of their faith background,” Lt. Col. Randy Taylor, an Army spokesman, said. “We believe in preserving the First Amendment right of free exercise of religion for those who want to serve in the U.S. Army,” he added.
“Based on the successful examples of soldiers currently serving with these accommodations,” Army Secretary Eric Fanning wrote in the directive, he decided to move forward with those accommodations as long as the colors match the uniform of the day.
“While we still seek a permanent policy change that enables all religious minorities to freely serve without exception, we are pleased with the progress that this new policy represents for religious tolerance and diversity by our nation's largest employer,” said Harsimran Kaur, legal director for the Sikh Coalition, in a press release from Becket Law, a firm that represents several Sikh soldiers.
Soldiers with a religious accommodation allowing a beard may not attend schools requiring toxic chemical agent training, nor can they be assigned to positions requiring compliance with biological, chemical or nuclear surety requirements as outlined in Army regulations. That’s because study results show that beard growth consistently degrades the protection factor provided by the protective masks currently in the Army inventory to an unacceptable degree, according to the directive.
Photo Credits: India Times
